The 14th state admitted to the US was Vermont on March 4th, 1791. It was not one of the original 13 colonies because no one had settled it back then. Vermont is one of the smallest states, with mountains, rivers, and valleys. The Green Mountain range extends through the center of the state. Vermont is know as the "Green Mountain State" due to the French words "les monts vert", meaning "Green Mountains". It was the first state to abolish slavery for those older than 21 in its constitution, as well as legally recognize same-sex couples in civil unions. Vermont is the leading producer of maple syrup in the US. The Vermont state bird is the Hermit Thrush. The state flower is the Red Clover. The state tree is the Sugar Maple. The capital of Vermont is Montpelier, and it is the least populated state capital in the US.
The indigenous people of Vermont were made up of the Abenaki, Mohican, and their ancestors. They have been in the state for the past 13,000 years. Vermont was known as having more treacherous natural wilderness zones that natives were more comfortable in, and European settlers were less comfortable navigating through. Between the wilderness and their fear of God, some of the captives preferred to live with the indigenous people than on their own in Vermont.
In 1609, Samuel de Champlain was the first European (French) explorer to step on Vermont soil. The Pequot War of 1637 and the King Philip's War of 1675-1676 took out the tribes of southern New England. The American Revolution brought more English colonists who migrated to Vermont from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New York. The first permanent settlement in Vermont was established in 1724 by Captain Timothy Dwight. By 1749, the French and Native American Indians had driven out most of the settlers from Vermont. Fort Dummer and Fort Number 4 were the last two places still in English possession. In July of 1745, Natives attacked one and then the other, and by the end of the decade, most of the English settlers were cleared out. For two decades, the Algonquians, Iroquois, French, and English fought for the land. Eventually, the settlers took over the land in a long, bloody, and harsh occupation through various invasions and raids. There has since been a commission on Native American affairs established to protect and strengthen their heritage and group needs that meets three times a year.
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